90-Year-Old Bodybuilder Reveals 3 Simple Rules That Keep Him Strong and Fit
At 90, Japanese bodybuilding champion Toshisuke Kanazawa still trains six days a week, relying on recovery, seven hours of sleep and age-appropriate workouts to stay strong
Toshisuke Kanazawa
At 90, Japanese bodybuilder Toshisuke Kanazawa is still training six days a week, spending about two hours at the gym each session and maintaining a level of physical discipline that would challenge athletes decades younger.
Kanazawa recently claimed his 19th national title in the 85+ category at the Japan Masters Bodybuilding Championships. His latest victory comes more than 50 years after he competed alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger during bodybuilding’s golden era.
But Kanazawa’s approach to fitness has evolved with age. Rather than focusing on lifting heavier weights, the 90-year-old has built his routine around three principles: allowing more time for recovery, getting sufficient sleep and adapting his workouts to what his body can handle today.
He puts recovery first
“It takes longer to recover from weights sessions than it used to, so I make sure I rest properly between sets and get around seven hours’ sleep a night,” Kanazawa told The Guardian.
Longer rest periods give his muscles, joints and cardiovascular system more time to recover before the next set. That becomes increasingly important with age, when the body generally takes longer to recover from strenuous exercise.
For Kanazawa, the goal is not simply to train hard on any given day. It is to create a routine that allows him to continue training consistently over the long term.
Sleep has also become a key part of Kanazawa’s approach to staying fit.
Research has linked getting around seven hours of quality sleep with better overall health and cognitive function, while insufficient sleep has been associated with processes linked to accelerated biological ageing.
His workouts have changed with age
Kanazawa has also changed the equipment he uses. He has gradually moved away from free weights and now relies on resistance machines for much of his training.
Exercises such as the bench press, deadlift and squat once formed part of his routine. Machines now allow him to continue challenging his muscles while providing a more controlled movement pattern.
Free-weight exercises typically require greater involvement from stabilizing muscles, joints and connective tissues. For Kanazawa, machines offer a way to maintain demanding workouts while limiting unnecessary strain.
“I do what’s best for me and my body at this age,” he says.
At 90, the objective is not to recreate the body or performance he had decades ago, but to work with the body he has now.
From Olympic dreams to bodybuilding
Kanazawa was born in Shimane prefecture on Japan’s Japan Sea coast in 1936. As a high school student, he was a talented swimmer who excelled in the 1500-meter freestyle.
His hopes of competing in the Olympics were eventually derailed by a muscular issue. He subsequently turned his attention to bodybuilding and pursued it professionally.
More than five decades after sharing the bodybuilding stage with Schwarzenegger, Kanazawa is still competing and training at an age when most athletes have long since retired.